A fire outbreak has destroyed a one-storey shopping complex housing clothes dealers at 1, Amore Street, Ajegunle Boundary, Lagos, with goods worth millions of naira lost.

The Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA) Permanent Secretary, Olufemi Oke-Osanyintolu, said it got distress calls at about 2:40 a.m., prompting the immediate activation of the state’s emergency response plan.

LASEMA said its responders arrived at the scene at approximately 3:22 a.m., where they found the shopping complex already engulfed in flames.

The fire spread rapidly, reportedly due to the high concentration of combustible materials, as the shops were used mainly for the storage and sale of clothing.

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Preliminary investigations by the LASEMA Response Team revealed that the fire was triggered by a power surge following the restoration of public electricity supply.

Despite the scale of the incident, no casualties or loss of life were recorded.

LASEMA said its response team immediately conducted a risk assessment, cordoned off the affected area and activated safety measures to prevent damage to adjoining buildings.

The agency, working in collaboration with other emergency responders, successfully contained and extinguished the fire, preventing it from spreading to nearby structures.

“The entire one-storey shopping complex and surrounding shops were completely razed by the fire, with all goods and properties stored therein destroyed,” the agency stated, adding that a physical assessment revealed partial structural compromise, necessitating an immediate structural integrity evaluation.

Firefighting operations have since been concluded, while damping-down activities are ongoing to eliminate residual heat and prevent re-ignition.

It said rescue and recovery operations have also been completed.

LASEMA recommended a structural assessment of the affected building, a review of fire safety measures and storage practices in commercial facilities within the area, and continued monitoring of the scene to avert any recurrence.

Responders at the scene included officials from LASEMA’s Cappa Base and Fire Unit, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, and the Nigeria Police Force.